The idea of Dastak first came to festival director Shalaka Ranadive and artistic director Gauri Gupta when they were aboard a flight to Mumbai.
Having identified a need gap, the two superwomen put their experience, knowledge and passion for theatre together, embarking on this immensely rich journey.
Singapore’s largest Hindi theatre festival will be back for its third installation at the Goodman Arts Centre from November 15 to 18, 2018. It will feature ten plays of ten minutes each. Its inclusiveness is admirable, boasting of English subtitles for all its plays.
But what you see onstage are only the highlight reels – it hasn’t been easy. "It takes a lot out of you. Every year I tell myself I won’t do it again, but then I see the stage, set, actors performing… and it’s all so magical for me and I know I can’t stop and have to to do this again,“ shared Shalaka.
Making sure Dastak remains fresh for its audience, the production team goes through a rigorous process of scanning scripts. This year, 80 percent of the stories received were from local playwrights. The festival has also consciously tried to include more local writing talent. In addition, a few plays this year will be directed by non-Indian directors, adding a fresh perspective with hopes of reaching a larger audience base.
The aim was to make the festival as local as possible without giving up on its core value, “You will see how each one of them without knowing Hindi will bring their essence to the play, it’s something we all are really looking forward to,” said Gauri.
Supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore, Dastak 2018 will have a host of fringe activities to engage the audiences.
Get your tickets here before they run out!
